Archbishop Wood continues dominance with another trip to PIAA AAA final

ROYERSFORD >> Since the start of the decade, you can basically book Archbishop Wood for a spot in Hershey for the PIAA Class AAA state final.

Tuesday night at Spring-Ford, the Vikings advanced to their sixth AAA final in the last seven years as they cruised by Berks Catholic 61-37 to advance to the title game for the third consecutive year.

“After the last two years we don’t want to just get there,” Wood coach Mike McDonald said. “We’re not done yet. We don’t want to be just really excited because we want to stay focused on what we really want to do.”

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This entire year has had the feel of a redemption tour for a team that has been spurned in the final game two consecutive years. The Vikings blew through a tough Philadelphia Catholic League tournament before a dominate showing the District 12 championship game.

Since the start of the state playoffs, Wood has put its dominance on full display. Of the four games the Vikings have won thus far, they have won by an average of 18.75 points per game, with its nearest scare coming in a nine-point win over Gwynedd Mercy Academy in the quarterfinals.

“I’m fortunate that we have a lot of basketball players where some schools might have multi-sport players,” said first-year coach McDonald of the recent success for the Vikings. “These kids play basketball all year long, they play for top level AAU teams, they play for us, they buy in and they work at it.”

The Vikings have the look of a state champion team and have for the latter half of the season. Wood has the quality of talent needed and has confidence and depth coming off the bench as demonstrated Tuesday night as seven players registered at least five points.

“We’re comfortable with the eight and I’m comfortable with the other kids just right now we like to play eight and make sure they’re comfortable on the court,” said McDonald, who is seeking his first state title as head coach of the Vikings.

For most teams a trip to the state finals would likely be considered a successful season. But for the Vikings they are hoping the third time is the charm and can finally accomplish what they know is their ultimate goal when they start their season.

“It’s an unbelievable achievement to get there,” McDonald said. “But it’s not the goal. The goal is to win that game. The previous coaches before me really set a standard.”